Средневековый глоссарий
Arrows: Ash was the most popular choice of wood when it came to make arrows (shafts), though many types of wood could be used.
Arrowheads: Arrowheads were made of iron or steel. Broadheads were used for hunting while narrower heads could penetrate armour in battle.
Bows: A craftsman called a bowyer would construct bows. These bows were usually made from the wood of yew trees, which was light and strong. Logs of yew were cut into thin sections called bowstaves, which were then stored for three or four years to “season” them. Once the wood was seasoned, the bowyer shaped the staves into bows.
Bowstrings: Bowstrings were made from hemp and flax plants.
Chaplain: The chaplain was a priest who conducted services in a castle’s two chapels. The one smaller chapel was located next to the solar (the lord’s private room) and was only used by the lord and his family. The other chapel, the bigger chapel, was used by the servants, and soldiers of the garrison.
As the best-educated person in the castle, the chaplain would teach the lord’s children how to read and write and recite prayers and Bible passages. He would also keep a careful record of all the accounts and punishments meted out by the lord and give his blessing to the dying, anointing them with oil.
Crossbows: Crossbows, which shot small arrows called bolts or quarrels, were easier to use and often more accurate than longbows at close range. However, they did not fire as far and took longer to reload.
Falconry: A lord’s favourite past-time was often falconry. He would carry such birds as peregrines on his left wrist, which was protected by a thick leather glove. The falcon would even be carried around when the lord was conducting business in the great hall. The falcon would be used to catch wildfowl, such as duck, and it was tied to the lord’s finger with a long silk string called a jess. Ladies also flew falcons, but they usually chose smaller birds such as merlins.
Feathers: Feathers (vanes) could be glued (with glue made from bluebell bulbs) and tied to the end of arrows to make them fly straighter. Usually goose feathers (the flight feathers) were used.
Ferreting: Ferrets were used to hunt rabbits. All the exits of a burrow were blocked except for two. Then a ferret was sent down one hole while the rabbit was forced to flee through the other one.
Forest Fruits: Besides meat, the outlaws could find walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, raspberries and blackberries growing wild in the forest.
Knight: A knight was a soldier of high rank, who began training in battle techniques as a child. By about the age of seven, he would serve as a page in a nobleman’s household, acquiring good manners and learning how to sing and play music. At the age of 13 or 14, the boy would start serving a knight in the capacity of a squire. He would start training, learning how to ride, care for his horse, fight with a sword and wrestle.
Lady: A lady was a woman of high rank. She was often married to a lord at the tender age of 14 or even younger. She would give her husband a sum of money known as a dowry or marriage portion. The lady would run the castle or household when the lord was away on business, was hunting or at war.
The lady had to obey her husband or, if she was not married, her father. During the day she would sew, weave and embroider. Amusements sometimes included listening to songs and poems from minstrels and troubadours.
Lord: A lord would oversee the running of his estate or castle, though he left much of the management to his steward. However, when he wasn’t travelling or fighting, the lord would conduct business in the great hall. He would deal with the many tenants who arrived to pay their rents and have their disputes settled. He would also punish those guilty of crimes.
Medicine: The sick were often tended to by monks and nuns in hospitals or infirmaries. They might also be treated on the first floor of a castle keep, especially during time of siege. The patients would lie on the straw while the surgeon bound wounds and removed such obstructions as arrowheads. The surgeon cauterized the wound with a red hot iron to burn off the infected flesh and stop the bleeding. Bloodletting was another form of medical treatment. A vein in the arm would be opened and the “bad blood” was caught on a bleeding plate.
Herbs such as majoram and feverfew were grown in monastery, priory and castle gardens. Dill was believed to ward off witches’ spells and helped improve digestion. Mint could cure more than 40 illnesses, including headache and bad memory. The scent of fennel could revive people who felt faint.
Mummers: Dancers who wore animal disguises in traditional plays, called mumming. For example, a horse’s hide symbolized courage and was meant to protect the wearer.
Poaching: Poachers were people who hunted illegally. In royal forests no one could hunt without the king’s permission. The Forest Laws were strict and upheld by forest courts, which laid down harsh punishments for those who broke the laws.
Steward: The steward oversaw much of the day-to-day castle management. He had many responsibilities. He organized the farm work and kept accounts of the castle’s finances, so that the treasurer knew what needed to be paid in wages and expenses. Along with the lord and treasurer, the steward collected rents (in money and crops) and taxes and punished criminals.
Trees: In Sherwood, you would find oak, birch, elm, ash and chestnut trees. The oak was the only tree that was deliberately planted. It was the main timber used for building.
Types of Prey: There were red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, wild boar, and birds such as wood pigeons.
Vagabonds: People who fled their village without their lord’s permission. They often wandered from place to place carrying out petty crimes.
, тут же и с ума сойти можно переваривая все сразу.... ну может я одна такая, еще не так быстро (или совсем не быстро [взломанный сайт] ориентируюсь во всем этом...), однако, спасибо, информации для размышления, переваривания, осмысления - вагон!!!!
